The health status of children born after in vitro fertilization

• Main Authors: E. S. Keshishian, A. D. Tsaregorodtsev, M. I. Ziborova
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Ltd. “The National Academy of Pediatric Science and Innovation” 2016-03-01
• Series: Rossijskij Vestnik Perinatologii i Pediatrii
• Subjects: children; in vitro fertilization; assisted reproductive technologies; health outcomes; development.
• Online Access: https://www.ped-perinatology.ru/jour/article/view/230

The paper reviews the data available in the literature on the health status and development of children born after in vitro fertilization (IVF). It analyzes the data of Russian and foreign publications in the period 1995 to 2013 with a predominant focus on large-scale multicenter studies. Results. Suboptimal perinatal outcomes (miscarriage, low birth weight, and their complications) are mainly caused by parental factors, such as infertility, advanced maternal age, and concurrent metabolic, genetic and epigenetic alterations, which affects the quality of gametes and the course of pregnancy and is likely to determine the increased (1,3—2) risk of congenital malformations and the need for their surgical correction in the children born after IVF as compared to those from spontaneous pregnancies. The only proven IVF-associated factor for suboptimal perinatal outcomes is multiple pregnancy. The data on the higher rate of somatic and other diseases in children born after IVF are controversial and unconfirmed by large-scale studies; it is difficult to compare the magnitude of genetic and epigenetic changes due to their rarity. The prediction of the reproductive status and delayed diseases (cancer, metabolic disturbances) in this group of children remains open.